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INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE
20 – 21 November 2015, GABROVO
NEW TECHNOLOGIES FOR WEB BASED LEARNING
Borivoje Milošević
College of Applied Technical Sciences, Nis, Serbia
Danica Milošević
Srđan Jovković
CATS, Nis, Serbia
CATS, Nis, Serbia
Abstract
In line with the development of information and communication technologies, education today is not being only obligatory
option. E-learning is one answer to the growing educational needs and it is spreading and becoming more popular worldwide. The
paper discusses the new technology of E - learning systems as well as the ways in which they are implemented in a web environment.
Keywords:
ICT, LMS, WBT, CBT.
INTRODUCTION
The inclusion of digital media in daily life
both as a strategy for teaching and learning
and a resource for gaining access to
information implies that teachers and students
need to develop skills to use Information and
Communication Technologies (ICT).
Advances in information and
communication technology as well as the latest
achievements in the science of studying have
provided opportunities for establishing a new
environment paradigm for E-learning.
E-learning can be described as Everywhere
Learning because it is available almost
anywhere. Often, this type of learning is used
in large corporations where its advantages
become obvious, in particular concerning the
education of a large number of people in a
very short time (Enterprise Learning).
Nowadays e-learning is becoming more
frequently used in universities and schools in
view of improving the learning process.
Unlike distance learning, the concept of e-
learning is a relatively new one. Its wider
application started in the USA only in 1996
since there were no technical possibilities for
realization of this type of learning by then. Its
wider application, or a kind of application
"boom" across the world, was achieved in the
period from 2001 to 2003.
In the process of E-learning, it is necessary
to achieve adequate communication and
cooperation between the participants in the
educational process (students, teachers, co-
workers, administrators, etc.), and cooperation
with the relevant elements in the environment
(organizations, ministries, etc.). In the process
of education, students are primarily interested
in collaboration with teachers in order to
master the material of the course and pass all
the necessary exams. Cooperation between
teachers and students can be realized through
various means for synchronous or
asynchronous communication, such as e-mails,
audio and video conferencing, chat rooms,
forums, etc. Also, students can communicate
with each other in the same way to finish the
assigned group activities and take full
advantage of learning in a group.
LMS (Learning Management System) is a
set of standardized components for learning,
designed to connect learning with existing IT
systems within an organization or the web
portal for learning. Its aim is to provide in a
short period of time a centralized learning
environment relying on a computer, which is
not dependent on the geographical position of
clients, their knowledge or their role in
organizations.
Functions of the LMS are: registration of
faculty and students, management of
privileges, access, learning objects search,
online delivery of lessons, creation of question
papers, tests and exams, tracking of learners,
International Scientific Conference “UNITECH 2015” – Gabrovo
advanced reporting, ect. Figure 1. shows LMS
service environments.
Fig. 1.
LMS service environments
Based on all the parameters that can be
recorded, it is possible to monitor the progress
of individuals or groups at each moment, and
measure and analyze the outcomes of learning
at the end of educational process. The access
time is recorded, as well as the success of
learning steps, time spent studying and the
final results. Data are stored in a database and
are available for analysis and presentation to
different users (project administrators,
teaching mentors, managers ...).
The core of the LMS consists of the eight
components, Figure 2:
Fig. 2.
LMS components
The software that forms the basis of the
LMS manages all the elements of teaching and
records all the parameters required for
monitoring the process. Based on these
parameters, it is possible to monitor the
progress of a particular client or a group at any
time, and measure and analyze reliably the
outcomes of learning in the end of the
educational process. Clients access the system
from their computers and get involved in the
process of tuition at a most convenient time for
them. According to the teaching syllabus, they
select the module for learning and attend
tuition. The process is controlled and
monitored by the LMS. The access time for a
module is recorded, as well as the success of
learning steps, time spent studying and the
final results. Data are stored in a database and
are available for analysis and presentation. The
system keeps track of all users within the
stipulated time, enables communication by
systems: one to one, one to all and all to all,
provides an insight into the data from previous
teaching sessions and the experience of
participants from other groups.
We should first know that there is no such a
thing as the best LMS system, so it is
impossible to select one LMS and expect that
it can meet all the requirements and that
everything would work perfectly well and
flawlessly, as many would wish. Today there
are over 150 manufacturers of LMS platforms.
It is a real ocean of softwares. A large number
of companies and institutions as well as
experts carry out the selection by comparing
the features and functions of one software to
the other and thus come to the conclusion
which one of them is worthwhile the invested
money. We must know in detail the needs and
requirements of our organization before we
start looking for our future e-learning
platform. The solution to these problems is
seen by many in the Open Source software
platforms. Open Source software is a software,
which is mostly available free of charge under
the GNU / GPL license.
Throughout the world, a number of LMS
solutions which differ greatly in terms of
quality and possibilities is rapidly growing.
Most virtual study programs use E-
Learning platforms to manage courses and
provide learning content. Blackboard, WebCT,
Olate, WiZiQ, Moodle, JoomlaLMS, ATutor
SharePointLMS, Tadaros and many others are
among them.
WEB BASED LEARNING
Existing initiatives such as the development
of systems to support the management of
teaching and learning activities are spread all
over the world. There are several
denominations for such systems that are
International Scientific Conference “UNITECH 2015” – Gabrovo
